The Register of Married Women’s Separate
Property was apparently begun in response to an
1859 Oregon state law intended to protect married women’s property rights. Most of the listings below were recorded 1859-1870; just a handful
were registered after 1890.

The register is a
fascinating, extremely detailed view into farm, livestock and household
practices of the mid-century. The livestock inventories in its pages frequently depict brands
and ear crops used, as well as descriptions of individual animals and the
ranges they were thought to be grazing. Wagons and farm tools are often
described by maker, some of them from Southern Oregon, as are the
pianos, stoves and sewing machines. The register's lists of furniture and household
items are as detailed as estate documents. The inventory of Helen Brentano’s
millinery shop is a treasure.

The register is only available at the JacksonCounty Clerk’s office at the CountyCourthouse
in Medford; you'll have to ask them to retrieve it from storage for you. A
photocopy of the manuscript register is available at the Rogue Valley
Genealogical Society's Jackson County Genealogical Library, under the
title "Married Women's Property Rights."